BANGALORE: Ministers, legislators, advocates, writers, academics and others on Tuesday expressed reservations over some of the contents of the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control, and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005, though they welcomed it in general.

They were participating in an interaction on the Bill (which has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha) organised by the Union Ministry of Home and the State Government.

After initial remarks on the Bill by Union Home Minister Shivaraj Patil, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly B.S. Yediyurappa said the proposed Bill is not appropriate at the moment. There already exist provisions in the law to deal with communal violence and prevent it. Effective enforcement of laws and a strong administrative machinery are required to eliminate social and caste discrimination, he said.

Deputy Chief Minister M.P Prakash said the proposed law should maintain a balance between powers of the States and the Centre. There have been instances where the Centre used Articles 355 and 356 to browbeat State governments. "Political situations make politicians lose their foresight," he said.

Former Chief Justice of the Karnataka and Kerala High Courts V.S. Malimath termed the Bill "progressive" and welcomed it. But he said there is a need for a comprehensive law for rehabilitation of victims of communal riots. Many advanced countries have a comprehensive law for rehabilitation and counselling of victims.

Stating that the Preamble to the Bill should have been worded differently, he said phrases such as "secular fabric" are vague. Mr. Justice Malimath, who had headed the Commission of Criminal Law Reforms, was not happy with the definition of "communal violence" that "means any act of omission or commission which constitutes a scheduled offence and which is punishable under Section 19 " (of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973). The Bill provides for greater powers to State and the Centre for taking effective measures to suppress communal violence perpetrated on such a scale, which threatens the secular fabric, unity and integrity of the nation. Steps should be taken to strengthen intelligence units and security system in the country.

Former Railway Minister and senior Congress leader C.K. Jaffer Sharief said that instead of pressing for one more law, the Centre should address issues of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment among the minorities. The people belonging to particular communities have taken to terrorism. Political parties must stop misleading people during elections, he said.

The deprived section of the society has lost patience and started indulging in anti-social activities. Hence, efforts should be made to eliminate socio-economic disparities, Mr. Sharief said.

Litterateur U.R. Ananthamurthy drew a comparison between terrorism and communalism, and said both have similar features. Criminalisation of politics is a major cause of communal clashes, he added. A. Jayaram, Chief of Bureau, The Hindu , Bangalore, said political parties must reach a consensus on issues that generally trigger communal conflicts and also place on the backburner contentious and emotive issues which have divided the people in recent years. He wanted the State Government to make public the reports of some of the inquiry commissions into communal violence, which have been pigeonholed.

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